Former NBA player Lou Williams believes his former team, the Toronto Raptors, didn’t re-sign him because of his connections to Canadian artist Drake.
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Drake mentions Williams in his song “6 Man” which was released back in 2015., the same year the guard won his first Sixth Man of the Year award The first three lines of the song include the 17-year NBA veteran.
Drake released “6 Man” as part of his 17-track album “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.”
When Williams was asked whether the melody had a direct effect on his fate in Toronto, the guard gave a definite response via the Underground Lounge podcast.
“A thousand percent,” Williams said.
In 2015, Williams averaged 15.5 points and 2.1 assists in 25 minutes per game. Although he was a star in Toronto, he wasn’t offered a new contract following his stellar performance that season.
TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 29: Drake and Adonis watch as the Toronto Raptors host the Phoenix Suns during NBA action at the Scotiabank Arena on November 29, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Former Raptors guard Lou Williams blames Drake for losing out on contract.
Andrew Lahodynskyj/Getty Images
“They didn’t re-sign me back to Toronto because of my lifestyle,” Williams explained. “They said I was a bad influence and they just said my vibe wasn’t right for what they was building out here.”
Williams then signed a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Former Raptors teammate DeMar DeRozan said Williams’ lifestyle was never a problem for the players.
“What’s crazy about was like, it’s never a thing that was an issue for us,” Rozan said. “The culture of the whole organization was built on, especially that year, that team, the personality, the vibe. I think it was just something that was uncomfortable for them that they couldn’t understand.”
Williams retired after 17 seasons in the NBA in June 2023. He won the Sixth Man of the Year Award three times throughout his career.
The Philadelphia 76ers selected the guard as the 45th overall pick in the 2005 draft. He then landed with the Atlanta Hawks in 2012 as a free agent. Two seasons later, he landed with the Raptors. After signing with the Lakers in 2015, he was traded twice in 2017 to the Houston Rockets and then to the Los Angeles Clippers.
He earned Sixth Man honors twice with the Clippers. In 2017, Williams averaged 22.6 points per game. The guard averaged 20 points per game in 2018 for the Clippers.
Williams was special because he embraced his role off the bench. He’s never started more than 38 games in a season. However, his scoring average reached double figures for 14 consecutive seasons.
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